Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

On Internet coffee shops and my preferences for such.

I frequently visit places that sell coffee and have Internet WiFi service. On a regular weekday, I will usually visit two of these places. There are several personal and professional reasons for this habit, but that is not the subject of this post.

My preferences for Internet Coffee Shops:

1. Good coffee
2. WiFi access (fast WiFi access)
3. Smiles
4. No corporate uniforms
5. Convenient location

I once had a favorite such place near my home. Someone bought it and they didn’t smile. Preference #3 caused me to find another place.

I have been flexible with preference #4. The place I am in now sort of uses uniforms. Each person wears a white t-shirt and a brown apron. The manager doesn’t wear any of that. I also frequent a Starbucks – the epitome of corporate logos and rigidity. The Starbucks, however, is perfectly convenient and the people there smile all the time.

As you may have noticed, my preference list is not in priority order. I have yet to decide on the priority and I have been working on this list for about five years.

Notice that I don’t demand “free” Internet access. I like free access, don’t get me wrong on that one. Starbucks, for example, uses a registered user card system to provide somewhat free access. Their registered card also allows for free coffee refills – bonus points for anyone who does that.

Conclusions? I don’t have many at this time. Perhaps if you are considering opening an Internet coffee shop, you may take my list as a start.